


Paparazzi

by Amani Ishikawa (1AmaniIshikawa1)



Series: Inglourious Romance [2]
Category: Actor RPF, Christoph Waltz - Fandom, Inglourious Basterds RPF
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-03-02 18:40:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2822243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1AmaniIshikawa1/pseuds/Amani%20Ishikawa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this sequel to Inglourious Romance, Christoph and Amaya are reunited in Los Angeles after several months apart. However, Christoph's newfound fame is quickly taking off, and with fame comes new challenges. The couple quickly find that life in the limelight is sometimes not all it's cracked up to be. Weeks and months at a time are spent apart, women fawn over Christoph's charming personality, and the Paparazzi has developed an interest in him, and the realities of loving a foreigner make Christoph and Amaya's relationship a challenge. Will their love be enough to weather the changes?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

The wheels of the Boeing 757 screeched on the runway, and Amaya Thomas was awakened by the slight jolt of the main landing gear making contact with the pavement of the runway. She lulled her head to the side and looked out the window at the familiar scene of the LAX terminal, yet she could not wake up. Amaya had been traveling for nearly 14 hours, and she was exhausted from both jet lag and the time difference. Not only that, but changing flights at Laguardia in New York City had been absolute hell, thanks to customs and getting through security checkpoints.

She had been in Germany for about nine months working on the set for Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, though now that the film was in its final editing after Cannes, she would not be allowed to talk much about the content of the film until after its premiere and release here in the United States.

That was when she would see Christoph again.

Amaya sighed. Her time in Germany, while exhausting, had been nothing short of wonderful. The unexpected had happened, and she had fallen in love with a handsome and sweet older Austrian gentleman named Christoph Waltz. Christoph was an actor who had portrayed the role of Colonel Hans Landa, who was the villain-type in the film. This was Christoph's first time in an American-based film, though he had been acting for many years in German movies and had a few English-speaking roles in London. The portrayal of his role had garnered quite a bit of attention when she was with him in Cannes, and he had won the Prix d'interprétation masculine while they were at the Cannes Film Festival. 

She missed him so much already.

Amaya's best friend, Nikki, was waiting at the gate to pick her up and drive her home. Amaya stood from her seat when the plane approached the terminal, and yawned heavily. Her eyes felt heavy, and she slowly removed her things from the carry on compartment above her head and joined the line of people disembarking. She made her way down the corridor with her familiar messenger bag crossed over her so it wouldn't fall off her shoulder and her carryon luggage rolling behind her.

When she emerged, she saw a tall, familiar figure among the dozens of people waiting for passengers, and immediately the redhead was hit by a dozen emotions at once. She smiled and burst into tears that were fuled by a conglomeration of joy to see her friend, sadness that she’d have to wait a few months for Christoph, and relief that she was finally home and would soon be sleeping in her own bed.

"Amaya!" Nikki screeched as she clasped her friend into a tight hug the moment she saw her.

The redhead returned with a hug of her own, and she closed her eyes and buried her face into Nikki's neck. It was a bit weird, but she actually missed how good her friend smelled and her familiar hugs.

"I'm so fucking glad to see you," Amaya said, pulling back, sniffling.

"God, you look rough," Nikki remarked, taking a closer look at Amaya's reddned, puffy eyes and the dark circles under them.

"I feel rough."

Nikki grabbed Amaya's rolling suitcase. "Well, yeah, that's a hell of a flight." She smiled reassuringly. "We'll get you homw to rest, though. Anywhere you want to stop?"

Amaya shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. I just want to go home and sleep for the next five days. I'm tired."

Nikki nodded. "I understand." Then she cocked her head curiously. "So you didn't bring your Austrian boyfriend?"

"He'll be in L.A. in a few months when the movie premiers here in the United States," Amaya explained. She sighed wistfully. "I didn't want to leave him. God...it was so hard getting on that fucking plane."

Nikki smiled. She had not seen her best friend this happy in a long, long time. Even though she had not been in Germany when Amaya was falling in love with Christoph, she had spoken to her friend over Skype, and she had seen some of the photos she had posted on her online blog.

"I'm sure he felt the same about letting you go, but you two will be together in no time. I'll have to keep you occupied until then."

"As long as you don't interfere with my sleep, that's fine with me."

Nikki helped Amaya retrieve her luggage from the carousel, and together they walked out to Nikki's car parked in the parking garage. They threw her things into the trunk and the backseat, and they drove back into the city. Amaya chatted with Nikki as she enjoyed the familiar sights of the city. She had almost forgotten how much she had missed Los Angeles, although now, it wouldn't hold a candle to Berlin, in her opinion.

As Nikki drove, Amaya thought about what there was to do now that she was home. She would have to adjust to United States time again, plus she had three tons of laundry to do, parcels of souvenirs to mail back to her family in St. Louis, tons of pictures to show Nikki, loads of artwork to sort through and upload for Inglourious Basterds, and other things to take care of.

They soon arrived at their apartment, and after hauling Amaya's things inside and riding the elevator up, Amaya was welcomed by the familiarity of her own living room. She and Nikki shared many common interests and tastes, and their apartment reflected this conglomeration of two very unique personalities.

"You want some tea?" Nikki offered. "I saved box of chamomile in there, and I bought a box of jasmine, chai, and oolang for you yesterday when I was out."

Amaya smiled weakly. "Yeah, that would be great, honestly. I'm so damned tired, though. I need to unpack my things and give you your presents."

Nikki got a mug down from the cupboard. "Wait until tomorrow to do all that. I waited this long. I can wait a little more." She glanced over her shoulder as she peeled apart the paper enclosing the teabag. "You should go take a shower."

Amaya shrugged. "I'm gonna skip the shower. I can hardly stand. I'm just going to change into my pajamas, drink that tea, and then I'm taking a much-needed nap."

Nikki nodded as she put the water into the mug with the tea bag and started it in the microwave. "That's fine. I remember how I felt after I came back from Germany, too."

Amaya had almost forgotten that Nikki had been to Germany herself. In high school, she had signed up for the foreign exchange program, which was something Amaya had wanted to do but her family could not afford. Nikki was fluent in German since she had studied it throughout high school and minored in it in college, so she stayed for a year in Germany with a host family and went to school there during her senior year.

As Amaya waited for the tea to finish heating up, Amaya unzipped her bag to hunt for what were now her favorite pair of pajamas. Christoph had given her a pair of flannel pajama bottoms he didn't wear anymore, and she wanted these the most. However, as she searched for the bottoms in question, she came across an item that was not hers. It was a light blue button up dress shirt that was neatly folded on top of her things. Amaya sucked in a breath and lifted the shirt out of her bag; it was Christoph's shirt. He must have sneaked it in there when he was packing up her bags in his bedroom. She bit her lip as tears almost came to her eyes. She lifted the shirt to her face and inhaled; it still smelled of his wonderfully familiar Prada cologne.

"He's...God..." Amaya breathed. "I fucking miss him..."

Amaya found the pajama pants, undressed, and put them on. Then, she put on a sports bra and pulled on the shirt Christoph had saved for her. She should have known him to do something so sweet and adorable. She then wished she had left something for him as well.

She emerged from the room, and Nikki handed her the cup of chamomile tea. Amaya sat on the couch and sipped her tea as Nikki turned on the television. She glanced over at her friend.

"Did you DVR all my shows while I was gone?" Amaya asked.

Nikki smiled. "Of course! You have a lot to catch up on!" She had brewed herself a cup of coffee, and she sipped on it. "When you're up to it, we'll have to go out and celebrate later."

"Actually, I'm all for the celebration taking place here at home. I'm so tired, and I think I'm pretty done with traveling for a little while. I had a great time, but I got tired of not staying in one place for more than a few days. I say pizza, a buttload of Redbox movies, and some mixed drinks." She paused. "Or better yet, a hamburger. I kind of missed American food and movies."

Nikki shrugged. "Well, whatever you want to do! I don't care either way. Maybe some gaming, too?"

Amaya grinned. "And never changing out of my pajamas for at least three days."

"Speaking of," Nikki began, glancing over Amaya's shirt, "is that one of Christoph's shirts?"

"Maybe," the redhead replied, smiling impishly. She pulled the collar to her nose. "It still smells like him. He sneaked it into my bag, and I didn't even know it."

"Aww...he sounds like such a sweetheart from what you've told me," Nikki replied from behind her mug. "I can't wait to meet the man that has my best friend's heart. Did you...hook up with any other men over there?"

"Well, yeah. I fucked a couple of guys, but those conquests were before I met Christoph," Amaya replied. "One guy was when I first got there, and it was a German guy I met in this club. I took him back to my room and fucked him. Then about a couple of weeks later, my friend Jeff and I kinda got drunk in the hot tub and he...sort of became a bit of a fuck buddy until I met Christoph. After I met Christoph, I put a stop to our little tryst."

"Wait...isn't Jeff married?" Nikki asked, frowning.

Amaya bit her lip guiltily. "Yes...yes he is, and...okay well I feel shitty about it, but we were drunk and horny, and I had showed him my piercings. It was just a bad decision, but it was also just meaningless sex."

"Yet you continued with it. Were you drunk those times, too?"

"No...I wasn't," Amaya said. "We just did something really stupid, and Jeff was just...well, he was a good lay, you know? And we can both keep a secret. We were both just using one another for a little nsa fun. It meant nothing, but I can tell you honestly that I won't do it again, regardless of whether or not I had Christoph." 

"Well I sure as fuck hope not," Nikki said. "I'm sure if his wife found out it wouldn't matter whether it was meaningless. Like you could have broken up their marriage."

"Honestly, as much as I like Jeff, I know he sleeps around away from home," Amaya said. "If someone was 'happily married,' they wouldn't be prowling for fuck buddies. I wouldn't be the only one she would be upset with. I know it doesn't make it right, though." 

Nikki knew that Amaya enjoyed casual sex. She was a little wilder in her college days, and though she settled down for a while afterward, Amaya really started having more sex with random men after she had gotten away from Dan, her abusive ex-boyfriend. But now that she seemed to find a man she really loved, Nikki knew that as long as Christoph was in her life, she would be a one-man kind of woman.

"Well, who was better, though?" Nikki asked, smirking. "Christoph or Jeff."

"That's a no brainer! Christoph, of course!" Amaya drank the last of her tea and placed the mug on the table, smiling. "Christoph is amazing in bed. He's an attentive lover, and he's gentle, but I think he can also have a kinkier, adventurous side to him. He was a fan of my VCH piercing." Amaya leaned back against the pillows tiredly as images of his naked body against hers flitted through her mind. "I don't know what I'm going to do without sex for the next few months. It's going to drive me insane."

"Looks like you better buy some batteries," Nikki replied suggestively.

Amaya laughed, but then she yawned. "For now, I'm going to have to dream of it." She sat up and glanced to her bedroom. Her eyes felt even heavier after the chamomile tea. "I'm going to sleep now, Nikki. I'll talk to you more when I wake up."

"Alright, sweet Christoph dreams, pal!"

The redhead stood grunting her approval. Then she closed the door to her room and found her phone. She belatedly realized that it had been on airplane mode, and when she turned the mode off, several messages and missed calls popped up, most of them from Christoph. Then she suddenly remembered what he had told her to do back in Germany: "Call me, no matter what time it is."

"Aw, shit," Amaya complained, cursing herself for forgetting. He was probably worried about her.

She then pulled up his contact information as she turned out the light and snuggled down into the softness of her pillowtop mattress and fluffy goose down comforter and pillows. The phone was ringing on the other end, and finally she heard the click of someone picking up.

"Hallo, Liebling! Finally!"

"Christoph! God, I am so sorry. I forgot to call."

"I figured as much. How was the flight home?"

"Exhausting," Amaya said, rolling onto her back. "In fact, I'm about to go to bed."

"Ah, yes, it should be early evening there. You must be terribly jetlagged."

"Ugh...you have no idea. Well, you kind of do since you lived in New York, but it sucks."

Christoph chuckled. "I know, Liebling."

"I found your shirt," Amaya told him.

"Yes! I thought I would put that in your baggage. I have your picture as the background of my phone as well. I miss you already."

"I miss you, too, Christoph. When I wasn't sleeping on the flight, I thought a lot about you."

"I thought about you as well, and I'm glad to finally know that you're safe at home. With that said, I'll let you get your rest, my love. Gute Nacht, Liebling." 

Amaya smiled tenderly, already wishing he were here with his arms wrapped around her. "Good night, Sweetheart."


	2. Distance

Once Amaya had gotten in her rest, there was much to be done. Her laundry needed to be washed, though she was glad that this time around, there were no exploded shampoo bottles in her bag as it had done when she had first arrived in Germany. She balanced her laundry basket on one hip as she rode the elevator down into the basement of her apartment building where a coin-operated laundry room was situated.

She filled up the washers with her clothes and then headed back upstairs to sort through her personal items and put them away. Then she found the souveniers and gifts in her carry on bag and sorted them out by who they went to. She had bought Nikki some candy and managed to smuggle in a Kinder Egg, which were banned by the United States customs due to the small prize they contained within them. Amaya had always thought this was ridiculous because the prize was inside a small plastic egg that was covered in chocolate. There was no way a small child could choke on the egg, and any good parent would supervise their kid when handling a small toy anyway. She had also bought Nikki a t-shirt from Germany and a small Black Forest cuckoo clock.

The next matter of business was sending out all the gifts and souvenirs she had bought for her family in St. Louis. For this, she needed a large box for shipping and plenty of bubble wrap. She wrapped everything up with all the gifts marked with family members' names and carefully packed everything away. She taped up the lid and then drove her blue Chevrolet Cobalt down to the post office to send off the items. 

When she returned, Amaya logged on to her computer to check her DeviantART page and e-mail when she noticed that she had a missed call on Skype from Christoph. Amaya smiled and hit the call back on her computer and waited for him to answer. Although she had been busy, Amaya had missed him, and he did not leave her thoughts. 

Unfortunately, Christoph was away from his computer, and she glanced at the clock. Berlin was nine hours ahead from Los Angeles, and currently, it was one in the afternoon by L.A. time. In Christoph's part of the world, it was ten o'clock P.M., so it really was a good possibility he might have gone to bed. Amaya then picked up her phone and texted him: 

Sorry I missed your call on Skype. :( 

A few minutes passed, and then he answered: 

That's okay, Liebling. I was missing you, and I was about to go to bed. I forgot how much the time difference is. 

I'll let you get to bed, Christoph. 

No, please, if you're available, I can stay up a little while to chat with you. 

Amaya smiled and texted him back: Of course! Let me hop on!

Then she stood, and within a minute, her Skype was ringing and alerting her to a video message. When she answered, his handsome, adorable face came up on the screen. He was wearing his black framed glasses, and his smile was as cute as ever. She bit her lip and smiled at him. 

"Christoph! Hey!"

"Hallo, mein Leibling," Christoph said, returning with a radient smile of his own. His hazel eyes glowed with happiness at seeing Amaya. "Did you finally get some rest?"

"Yeah, I did. I slept for like fifteen hours."

Christoph chuckled. "That long?" She shrugged and smiled. "Of course, I've seen you sleep, so I wouldn't be surprised honestly. I don't think even a nuclear holocaust could awaken you." 

Amaya grinned. "I've always been a sleeper, you know." She then gazed at him and sighed. "I wish I were sleeping with you, though."

"As do I, Amaya. I've gotten used to you in my bed." 

"I bet you have," the redhead replied, suggestively. She wiggled her eyebrows mischeivously. 

Christoph chuckled. "Yes, I miss that as well."

"So. What's new?"

"Well, Inglourious Basterds has garnered much more attention that I thought at Cannes," he said. "Between Quentin's promotion and Cannes..." He shook his head. "Amaya, I've gotten several requests for interveiws. I...I don't know what to say!"

"Wow...really?" 

"Ja...I mean..." He paused to articulate himself. "It's just so...unexpected. I just can't help wondering whether things will actually take off for me or whether all this attention is temporary."

Amaya smiled gently. "Christoph, I think you should stop worrying so much about it. You were just in a big budget Quentin Tarantino film. I'm sure you are going to start getting offers."

Christoph sighed. "I've been trying to get my break for almost 30 years now, Amaya. It almost seems like this is too good to be true. That and..." He lifted his eyes. "I want to figure out how to get to L.A. so I can be closer to you. If my career really takes off like I've always wanted, then I want to buy a house there." 

Amaya smiled. "Christoph, that would be amazing. But why don't you just take it one step at a time?"

"You're probably right. I'm just a worry wart, you know." 

"I know," Amaya said. "But what will you do if your career is finally taking off? How do you think that will affect us?" 

"Now, Liebling, we discussed this before. Remember? At the pizza shop here in Berlin? Everything will be fine, but it will be an adjustment on both our parts. I might be gone more often. Honestly, I think perhaps we will have to work that out when the time comes." 

Amaya sighed and pouted a little. "I know, but I just miss you so much as it is. I can't imagine having to deal with this all the time." 

"But this is our profession," Christoph pointed out. "You are an artist and sometimes you will be away from home, and sometimes my acting will take me away." He smiled charmingly. "But the reunions will be that much sweeter, just as it will be when we see one another again here in a few months." 

Christoph always had a way with words, and he usually was right. Amaya couldn't help smiling as she reached up and touched the screen. "The premeire for the U.S. is still August, right?" 

He nodded. "Yes. There are actually several premeires before the U.S. one. There will be on in London, another in Berlin, and one in Sydney. The ones in London and Berlin are in July, and the others are in August."

"The U.S. one is still the 19th, right?" 

"Ja," he nodded. "Sydney is on the 11th, so I will fly out to L.A. on the 13th, and I should be there that evening."

Amaya smiled. "Why the two day wait?"

"Interviews and promotion," Christoph said. He smiled swetly. "But I cannot wait to see you, Amaya." 

"I wish I could come to all the previews with you," she said wistfully. "Especially in Berlin. I didn't want to leave, Christoph." 

"And I didn't want you to leave. I wish you could be here, too. I know how much you love it here in Berlin, Liebling." He touched Amaya's nose on his screen. "But I am sure I shall love L.A. I have been there once to try out for some roles, but back then, they said I would always be typecast as a Nazi." 

"But you played a Nazi in this movie," Amaya said.

"Well, yes, but this one had depth. When I first tried to get roles, they said I would most likely just be a Nazi extra with no speaking lines, and I didn't want roles like that."

"I don't blame you. That would be a waste of your talent." 

He smiled sweetly. "You are too sweet, Amaya. What faith you have in me."

"Well, someone has to have faith in you. Sometimes I think you lack it in yourself, but you really are talented. I mean, not every obscure actor can take home the best actor award at Cannes!" 

"I think that was a fluke," Christoph said, "but I'm glad for your support nonetheless." He then yawned as he glanced at the clock. They had been on Skype for about an hour. "I don't wish to leave you, but I have to be up early for an interview tomorrow."

"Oh, right," Amaya said, disappointed. "Will the interview be online? I've been trying to watch as many as I can."

Christoph smiled brightly, and his eyes widened. "Really? You've watched all of them?" 

"Well, all the ones I can view in the U.S.," she said. "I even have the ones in German saved and I let Nikki translate what you were saying to me."

Christoph laughed. "I knew there was a reason I loved you, Liebling," he said. "You don't have to watch my interviews."

"I know, but I want to. I miss you, and I also want to support you because I love you, Christoph."

He smiled serenely. "I love you, too, and I am so, so grateful for your support, Liebling. I am the luckiest man in the world. You have no idea what it means to me to have you." 

"Christoph, I am honored you would want me to be your girlfriend." She kissed her fingers and touched the screen. It was lame and cheesy as hell, but she didn't care. She missed him like crazy. "Go get some sleep, Christoph. I love you." 

"You will be in my thoughts tonight, Liebling. I love you, too." He returned the kiss. "Gute Nacht and see you soon." 

They ended the Skype chat, and Amaya sighed heavily. It had only been a few days since she had been home, and already she missed him.

It was going to be a long summer.


	3. Reunion

Amaya's summer back in Los Angeles had been excruciating without Christoph. She missed him dearly, and she thought of him in everything that she did and saw. there were so many places here in Los Angeles that he would love. There was a unique bookstore in downtown called "The Last Bookstore" that had both a vintage feel and an artistic element to it. The public library was also expansive, and then there was also Alpine Village which was located in Torrence and offered a German market and a myriad of German restaurants. It was also where she and Nikki often went to celebrate Oktoberfest, though it could never compare to the authentic ones held in Germany, especially in Munich.

A week after she had returned from Germany, Amaya returned to work at the art studio at which she was currently employed. This studio was one that specialized in hiring out freelance artists to film and animation studios, so whenever someone was offered a job, it was usually temporary, but often higher paying. It was common for Amaya or her colleagues to be gone for months, sometimes weeks at a time. Whenever one was hired out for travel, as was Amaya's case, usually the company travel agent worked with the film company to make arrangements and obtain passports. Amaya had been away for almost a year. Only her internship in Japan was, so far, the longest Amaya had been out of the country.

The first thing she did upon returning to work was pin up some of her favorite pictures of Christoph to her corkboard, and then she set up a framed picture of the two of them together on her desk. Naturally, some of her female colleagues were curious about the new additions to her cubicle, but Amaya remained elusive about him. She had mentioned Christoph was an Austrian actor she had met on the set, but she did not mention that he had a major part in Quentin Tarantino's movie because she didn't want to sound like she was bragging. She also couldn't talk much about the movie until after its release here in the United States. That and she wanted it to be a complete surprise when people found out she was dating the actor whose character had a major part.

August finally arrived, and over the summer, Amaya anxiously watched Tumblr and the Internet during her free time for Christoph's interviews and download premiere pictures. He, too, had had a busy summer, and sometimes he did not have an opportunity to talk. When he did, however, he gave her his undivided attention. Once, she had watched an interview with him online and she shared this with Nikki via the Apple TV using the Airplay feature of her MacBook. Nikki knew immediately why Amaya fell in love with him, not to mention that her best friend talked about him constantly. Amaya was so in love with Christoph that she hardly even looked at other men, though her sexual frustration was at its peak, and it was increasingly difficult not to act on her urges.

The date of the long-awaited premeire was finally close, and Christoph had called Amaya to inform her of two things: one was that he was arriving in Los Angeles on August 17, two days before the premeire. The second was to tell her to buy a nice dress because she was to be his date. Amaya squealed excitedly to Nikki when she found this out, and they knew they had to plan a shopping day. Unfortunately, Amaya would have to use money from her savings to buy a premiere-worthy dress, and she would probably have to get it from a high-end consignment shop rather than buying one directly from the Prada of Gucci stores found in Beverly Hills.

At the same time, Christoph was excited to be reunited with Amaya. The film company was going to pay for him to stay for a week in his hotel at which time he would also try to find a decent apartment to rent. The film had been a success at the premieres in London, Berlin, and Sydney, and already his agent in Berlin was being flooded with phone calls from producers and directors who were interested in working with Christoph. Most of them were from European filmmakers, but now there was an increasing amount of American filmmakers interested in him. Moving to L.A. seemed like a real possibility now.

\-----------

"What time is he coming in?" Nikki asked.

"Well, he said he would be here around 10:00 in the morning," Amaya said, as she browsed through dresses, "but we're not going to meet until lunch time."

"Why aren't you going to the airport to pick him up?"

Amaya shrugged. "He said the film company was going to do that and take him to a hotel. He's staying at the Beverly Hills Hilton."

Nikki gasped and she raised her eyebrows. "Isn't that where the Golden Globes are held?"

"Yep. I've never been inside the hotel, though." She wrinkled her nose as she pulled out a black dress with an asymmetrical strap that she really liked. "But honestly, the hotel doesn't look too impressive from the outside." She held the dress against her in the mirror. "But then again, maybe I just got used to the European architecture, so I'm not easily impressed anymore."

"I hear it's fucking gorgeous on the inside, though." She looked at Amaya's dress with approval. "That would look good on you. So why are you waiting to meet him until lunch?"

"Well, he'll have been on that plane for like forteen or fifteen hours," Amaya said. "He's going to need to settle into his room and take a nap, probably." She smiled. "But I sure can't wait to see him. I suggested eating at the Frank and Musso Grill. I think he will like it." 

"Ooooh, that is a good place. I ate there with a producer and director I worked with once." 

Nikki was also in the film industry, but in a much different way. She was a film editor, so she had a similar job to Sally Meneke, who was Quentin's longtime film editor. Nikki was responsible for working with directors to understand their visions for the film, and she often had to go through hours of footage to decide which scenes were needed and which were not. She also had to apply background music, sound effects, and dialoge into the film, and basicall get everything ready for review by the director and producers before making the final cut. It was a very time consuming and tedious job, but it did offer a lot of traveling opportunities and she got to meet with big time directors.

Nikki turned to Amaya who had about four dresses potential dresses to try on. "All that sifting through gowns and all you have is those four?"

"Well, I'm picky! That and I don't know what the fuck I'm doing! I don't even know what all is appropriate for a premeire, so I don't want to be over-the-top but still look nice for Christoph and the event. You know how "judgy" those people can be. I just hope no one catches on that I bought this from a consignment shop because I can't afford a freaking $1,000 dress that I'm only gonna wear for one night."

"Well, true, but I don't think you have much to worry about," Nikki replied with a reassuring smile. "Just...be yourself."

Amaya sighed. "That's what I'm afraid of..."

\-----------------------

The day that Christoph would arrive in L.A. felt as though it would never come. Amaya had selected a beautiful dress that perfectly brought out her auburn locks and her green eyes. Unfortunately, she discovered that she didn't have a pair of shoes to match her dress, so on the morning that Christoph was due to arrive, they had to go out shopping for a pair of high heels as well. They had left early enough to look through shoes, but late enough so that they could kill time while Amaya waited for Christoph to call her.

Amaya was at the counter paying for her shoes when she recieved Christoph’s text that he was in the city and he was now free to see her. The text came earlier than she had expected, so she had to assume that his flight had arrive early. Amaya squealed loudly, causing everyone in the store, including the clerk, to turn and look at her oddly. There was no way she could not contain her excitement.

"NikkI! Nikki!" she cried. “He’s here! In L.A.!" Then she noticed the strange looks, and her face reddened. She covered her mouth. “Sorry…" She turned to Nikki again, but she was still beaming. “Will you go ahead and take my stuff home?"

Nikki looked at Amaya with just about the same weird look as everyone else. She did not expect the squeal that came from Amaya. Initially, it had startled her, but no sooner did it happen, did Nikki realize what the cause probably was. She laughed and took the bag out of Amaya’s hands.

“Of course,” she said and rolled her eyes. “But I better get to meet this Austrian hottie soon. You owe me that!” Nikki winked before leaving the store, allowing Amaya to leave for the restaurant. 

Amaya grabbed Nikki and squeezed her, both out of gratefulness and utter excitement that finally, she would get to see Christoph. “I promise you will meet him tonight before the premier! Oh my God, Nikki, he’s adorable. So sweet! I love him so much!”

The redhead said goodbye to Nikki, feeling badly for ditching her, but she knew she would take her things home and hang everything up. Amaya didn’t want Christoph to see her dress until that night. Currently, she was wearing a white sundress with bicycles printed all over it, a pair of brown sandals, her sparrow necklace, and a plain silver ankle bracelet. L.A. was hot in the summer, but it was dry heat, unlike in St. Louis where humidity was really high.

Frank and Musso was only a block from her location, and she knew she’d get there before Christoph. Once there, she reserved a table and sat down to wait for him, sipping on the water that the waiter had offered her.

Meanwhile, Christoph couldn’t wait to see Amaya again. It felt like ages before he could see her again. The moment he set foot in LAX, he felt not relief, but the immense amount of excitement that drove him mad. The hotel and the restaurant were not far from each other. A driver had met him in the terminal, and he was driven to The Beverly Hotel in the back of a black Cadillac. There, he dropped off his things, but he put nothing away. He was exhaused from his flight, but he could not stand the thought of being on the same soil as Amaya and not see her right away.

Christoph left his hotel room, not even bothering to explore it or take in the sight of how gorgeous his suite was. He just wanted to find Amaya and begin enjoying his experiences right away. He hailed a cab, and he was thankful for his good English, for the Guatemalan driver didn't seem to speak English very well -- at least not yet. He asked the driver to take him to the Frank and Musso Grill, and thankfully, the Guatemalan seemed to understand.

He glanced out the window at his surroundings during the ride, and honestly, he could hardly believe his acting had brought him this far. He was in America -- in L.A. -- where he always wanted to be. He was starting to get attention, and it seemed as though his big break was about to happen. But he did not get his hopes up. Something similar to this had happened in England and it had turned out to be a very disappointing fluke. He hoped that wouldn't happen again.

When the restaurant was in view, Christoph pulled some American money from his wallet that he'd had exchanged at LAX upon his arrival. He quickly gave the man the amount and left the cab. His stride became longer and quicker than it was before as he entered the doors of the restaurant. Once inside, his eyes immediately searched for Amaya. 

At the same time, Amaya was looking for him as well. The restaurant was not one of those big, fancy dives that was extravagent on the outside. No, it was a small, unassuming place, but the atmosphere was elegant and warm, a great place to enjoy a casual lunch or dinner. Plus, it was on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and it was actually a place where many movie stars were known to dine.

She spotted him beside the door, and the hostess was asking him how many were in his party, to which Amaya could hear the faint answer of, "I am meeting someone here...a very lovely redheaded woman."

It was in that moment that the hostess turned and Amaya couldn't help but rise from her seat and call out to him. "Christoph!"

He turned at the sound of her voice, their eyes met, and his face lit up. Amaya left the table and met him in the middle of the busy restaurant, immediately running into his embrace with just enough force that it pushed him back. She held him tightly in an embrace, closing her eyes as she buried her face in his neck, taking in that wonderful, familiar scent of his Prada cologne that she had become so familiar with.

"I missed you so much!”

Christoph did not expect the immense force with which Amaya had met him with. His one foot had to take a step back in order to brace himself. Once he was balanced, he wrapped his arms around her. Amaya held him by his waist so tightly, and he could feel in her embrace that she had missed him terribly. He kissed the top of her head and held her against him tightly. 

"I missed you, too. So very much.”

They stood like this for a long while before realizing that people were staring. They weren’t staring in any rude or awkward way. In fact, people seemed to be admiring the kind of storybook, romantic reunion the two seemed to be sharing. Christoph took her hand in his and they moved towards the table that Amaya had been sitting at. 

When they sat, Christoph rested his chin on one hand and his eyes admired her. “I missed seeing your beautiful face, Amaya,” he started. “How have you been the past summer?” 

"Better now that you're back," she replied to him, smiling. Her hand was stretched on the table, and Christoph rested his hand on top of hers. A server came around and delivered water to Christoph, and Amaya ordered an iced tea. “Nikki picked me up at LAX when I came in, so it took a little of the edge off of having to leave you back in Austria. I was pretty busy there for awhile with all the laundry I had and the packages I sent back home." She smiled. “My grandma loved the Mozartkügel I sent her and those postcards of Salzburg. But other than that, I’ve been kinda busy trying to find more freelance projects and with dabbling with smaller, lesser paying work and commissions. What about you? You've been busy, I know that."

"Ineed I have, and it's been very exciting, actually," started Christoph. His thumb caressed her hand gently. "Interviews and all the traveling I have done kept my mind busy enough not to go insane." He then laughed. "But I missed you so much."

Amaya smiled. “I watched all your interviews,” she said, grinning. “The German ones I had Nikki translate."

"Oh? Your friend speaks German?"

"Fluently. You'll meet her soon. She'll never forgive me if I don't introduce her to you. I've gone on all summer about you."

"So...you said you sent your family some things..." he began again. "I take it, then, your family is...aware of us? Are they…aware of my age?"

When he brought up the subject of her family, she suddenly became a tad uncomfortable. Her mom and her brothers had all been fine with it, but her father, not so much. Then she thought about Christoph’s family. Had he told them, yet? What would they be like? Would they like her? Or would they think she’s too young for him and only using him?

"Well…" she began. “I’ve told my family, and so far Mom’s really open to the idea, and my brothers…they’re fine with it, too. My oldest brother, Charlie, was the first to know. As for my dad…" She sighed. “He’ll need a little time. He might feel better if he actually met you, but I wouldn’t worry too much about him. He’s just being overprotective. I really don't give a damn whether he approves or not anyway. I'm a grown woman, after all." She paused. “What about you? Have you…um…told your family, yet?"

His cheeks turned a bit red, as if embarrassed by the realization. He hadn’t thought too much about what Amaya's family might think. It seemed strange to him to have to worry about it to begin with. It had been a long time since he’d ever had to be introduced to a woman’s family. No matter what, however, the ordeal was always nerve-wracking.

Admittedly, Christoph was nervous about Amaya’s father not being okay with their relationship. He understood that most fathers were protective of their daughters, and certainly this situation might seem odd. Christoph was an adult and could see whom he chose, but he still did not feel comfortable without her father’s approval. He’d love and be with Amaya regardless, but he’d be happier if her father was comfortable with him. He supposed it’d simply have to be something he would work on. 

On the mention of his family, Christoph finally smiled. He nodded to her. “I have told my family. My parents are actually quite eager to meet you, especially my mother. I’ve told them all about how wonderful and talented you are, and they already seem to like you.” This news seemed to quickly lighten the mood. 

Amaya blinked. She had thought for sure that his family would not like her because she was younger than Christoph. They were eager to meet her? This she did not expect, and she certainly hoped that when the time came to meet his family that they would indeed like her based on her personality and not just on what Christoph told them. In fact, she hadn’t had to meet anyone’s family in ages, and the idea made her a little nervous. But maybe European families had different ideas regarding age differences.

"Well, I hope I can meet them soon," she told Christoph with a timid smile. “You haven’t really mentioned much about them. I just hope you won’t be afraid of my family; my family is so huge that we can be a lot to take in at once." She rubbed her thumb against his hand. “But I’m sure mine will really like you."

"As soon as we can, and as soon as you’re ready, you can meet my family. And I’d certainly like to meet yours. Your entire family sounds like wonderful people, and I’m determined to gain your father's approval. I would hate for him to be unhappy with us."

They had ordered their food during their conversation, and the server came around to put down their plates. She glanced up at Christoph as she cut into her cobb salad. “So, you’re all settled into your hotel room?"

Christoph retrieved his hand back from Amaya so that he begin eating the salad. He stabbed large leaves with his fork, and his mouth opened wide to fit it in there. He looked up at Amaya and smiled. He waited to finish chewing before he answered her. “Not quite. I left as soon as I got here. I am hoping, of course, that you can perhaps stay with me tonight."

Amaya gave a slight smile at Christoph as he bit into his salad. Some of the leaves of the lettuce were fairly large, and she wasn’t sure why he didn’t think to cut the lettuce before he ate it, but he was cute nonetheless.

"I’ll tell Nikki not to wait around for me tonight," Amaya smiled as she poured more balsamic dressing onto her salad. She nibbled on a piece of bread. "When does the premeire start?"

"It begins tomorrow evening around seven, but we will have to be there around five for the press conferences and then afterward, Quentin planned a dinner party." He smiled. "I cannot wait to see you in a dress."

"What will you be doing before that?" Amaya asked.

He shrugged. "An agent here has booked me for some interviews in the morning, but I should be free for lunch if you are." Christoph smiled sweetly. "I want to see you as much as possible while I'm here."

"Same here, sweetheart," Amaya smiled. "I'm so happy you're here. I love you."

"And I love you."


	4. Unexpected Encounter

That night, Amaya stayed with Christoph in his hotel suite, and after helping him settle in, they spent a good part of the evening simply talking and enjoying one another's embrace before heading off to bed. Being with Christoph again brought Amaya indescribable joy to her heart, and as it turned out, Christoph was planning to stay in Los Angeles for several months to look for an apartment to rent and pick up movie offers. He had told her that an agent, Adam Schweitzer, had offered to pick him up as a client here in America. Now Christoph had an agent in both Berlin and the United States. Already he was getting inquiries and scripts sent to him for movies. His dream, it seemed, really was coming true.

They went to bed together for the first time in months that night, but since Christoph had been on an airplane for over 16 hours, he was exhausted and jet-lagged, so Amaya decided to allow him his rest for the night. The next morning, she found herself waking up in the oversized, comfortable bed, having slept soundly next to her sweetheart for the first time in months. Christoph was already up, as usual, and she could hear water splashing in the sink as well as the faint scratching of a razor against skin.

She lay there and listened to him getting ready in the bathroom and wondered what kinds of possibilities would open to him now. He had won an award at Cannes for best actor, and he had been in a Tarantino film. Surely this would garner attention for him. But the most exciting thing would be having him closer to her after several agonizing months without him.

Christoph emerged from the bathroom wiping one of the hotel's white, fluffy towels across his face. He smiled upon seeing that she was somewhat awake. "Good morning, Liebling. Did you sleep well?"

Amaya yawn

ed. "I should be asking you the same."

Christoph chuckled and set his towel aside before moving to sit on the bed next to Amaya. He leaned forward and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. "I slept wonderfully with you here with me. I missed you so very much." Christoph glanced at his watch and stood. "I wish I did not have to leave, but my morning is going to be quite full of interviews promoting the film." He turned toward her as he finished buttoning his blue dress shirt. "But I will be free for lunch."

Amaya watched him as he dressed himself, and she smiled. "That's fine. I have to drop off some work I did at the art studio anyway." She rolled over onto her back. "There are some great restaurants not far from here. I'll pick one and text you the directions."

"That will be fine." He leaned down and kissed her again. "I must go. You can stay here for as long as you wish. I have an extra key card, so you can come and go as you please." He handed the card to her from his wallet and stroked her head. "I love you. See you in a few hours."

"Mmm...I love you, too, Christoph."

\------------------------------

Amaya snoozed in Christoph's bed for a little while longer before she finally dragged herself up and got dressed. She left the room with the key card in her purse and headed for the bus stop so she could go back to the apartment she shared with Nikki. She had some art work to turn in and commissions to deliver in the hopes that she could get more projects like Inglourious Basterds. But art work was hard to come by sometimes, even for someone working for a freelance agency.

After chatting with Nikki over some homemade coffee and scones, Amaya chose a quaint but upscale cafe that was popular in downtown Los Angeles. Given Christoph's affinity for both coffee and the finer things, this place seemed to suit him very much. She texted the directions to Christoph, and according to his response, he would be available around 12:30 to eat with her.

Getting around Los Angeles using public transportation was not always easy when one was carrying a large portfolio. Amaya had a car to drive -- a blue Chevrolet Cavalier -- but traffic and parking in the downtown areas was such a pain in the ass that to her, it was more worth it to take the Metro and not deal with it. She ran her art up to the studio firm where she worked and dropped it off before chatting with some of her artist colleagues and working on some independent work she intended to submit to video game and animation companies. Plus, there was the prospect of comic and anime conventions during the summer, and she used these venues to promote her work as an artist.

Christoph phoned her the moment he was finished with another interview that promoted Inglourious Basterds. Amaya was glad to hear his voice, but more, she was glad it was finally time to eat; the scones she had with Nikki did little to hold her over for more than an hour or so. She had chosen an Italian-style cafe called Caffe Primo, and it had a lovely outdoor patio complete with trees that provided comfort and shade.

The moment Amaya hopped off the bus, she looked for Christoph. The man was rarely ever late, and the moment she saw him heading toward her, she ran up, hugged him, and planted a kiss on his lips. He held her momentarily before pulling back and gazing at her.

"I missed you," he simply said, taking her hands. Then he nodded at the departing bus. "I thought you had a car."

"I do, but it's just easier for me to take public transportation," Amaya explained as she led him toward the cafe. "That and my car has a lot of milage on it, so if something breaks, I can't always afford to repair it. I have to save money between jobs as much as I can."

"I can understand that," he replied. "I must do the same when I am not being offered enough parts." He gave her hand a squeeze and smiled. "But perhaps I won't have to worry about that much longer, Liebling."

They entered the restaurant, and the hostess seated them at a nice table for two near an open patio. Water was brought to the table as well as a couple of menus. Amaya chatted about her day as she decided what she wanted, and Christoph told her which shows he was interviewing for so she could watch them later if she wanted. When a waiter came around, they placed their orders with Amaya ordering a Cobb salad.

"What is the plan for the premiere?" Amaya asked.

"I'm glad you asked," Christoph replied. "I have spoken with Adam, and he thinks he has found an apartment for me to live in. Tonight, however, a vehicle will be sent to pick me up." He smiled. "I told Adam that I had a beautiful young girlfriend that needed to be picked up. So...I will be arriving at your apartment quite early, sometime around five o'clock."

Amaya's eyebrows went up. "Five o'clock?" She pursed her lips. "So after lunch that gives me just a few hours to get ready. I guess it's a good thing I didn't plan any hair appointments."

He nodded. "You will look ravishing whether you had your hair done by a professional or not. I will have to be early because it will take some time to get out to your apartment, and Adam said these premieres are something you must arrive early for because of the red carpet interviews and photo calls." He smiled. "That and I am very eager to meet this friend I have heard you talk so much about."

As she and Christoph continued to converse about their plans for the premier, a group of men and women entered the restaurant, and the servers pushed together several tables to accommodate the large party. Christoph didn't notice anyone who had been glancing at him, for his back was facing towards the large party coming in. He heard the chairs and tables moving, but it failed to distract him, and he didn't bother looking to see what the commotion was about. Amaya herself didn't pay much attention to the people that entered at first, but as she ate with Christoph, she noticed that an older brunette woman in the group kept glancing over at her and Christoph's table. Christoph's back was turned to the party, so it wasn't possible for him to see who this mystery woman was. Perhaps it was some acquaintance of Christoph's?

She sipped her tea and glanced back at Christoph when he asked her about dinner plans. "Er, yeah, there's a great restaurant near the theater we can go to. I've never actually eaten there myself, but it's pretty formal and I heard the food's great."

He took another bite of his salad and looked up at Amaya. "Well I'm more than happy to try it out if you are. We can spend some time with Quentin and the others after the premier, then leave and get dinner if you'd like."

What Christoph did not know was that the brunette woman who entered the restaurant with the large party was someone he did know. He knew her all too well, in fact. Had Christoph any notion of who was sitting behind him, he may have struck a worried look on his face. He may have acted odd in an attempt to hide his face. Although he was unaware of who was behind him, the woman was catching on to who was in front of her.

The blonde excused herself to go to the bathroom and walked slowly past Christoph and Amaya's table, stealing a glance at the occupants. When she saw who it was, she stopped dead in her tracks, backed up, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well if it isn't Christoph Waltz," the brunette said and raised a brow. She struck a few glances at Amaya as though she were appraising the redhead.

Christoph was in mid-bite when he dropped his fork at who it was that stood beside him. He couldn't believe it. Even more, he couldn't believe she had noticed him. "J-Jackie...?"

The clatter of Christoph's fork against his plate plus the utterly surprised expression on his face sent alarm bells ringing in Amaya's head. She didn't like how the other woman seemed to be sizing her up or the way she turned her nose up at Amaya as she addressed Christoph.

This could not be happening. Who the fuck was this woman? Surely this was not who Amaya thought it was. Her eyes shifted back and forth between this 'Jackie' and Christoph. Finally, Amaya decided to ask the question she didn't want to ask.

"Christoph," she began, eying him suspiciously in her own subtle way. "Who's this?"

Christoph turned his head and looked nervously at Amaya. How could this be happening? What was Jackie doing here? How, of all the places in the city, did she end up at the one restaurant he and Amaya were at?

"Er... Amaya, this is Jackie. She's my-"

"Ex-wife," the other woman cut in, looking down at Amaya rather dryly. "Pleasure to meet you."

Jackie stuck out a hand for Amaya to shake, but it was the kind of gesture that felt more like she was rubbing it in than being polite. Out of simple politeness, the redhead shook the other woman's hand, but it wasn't for more than two shakes before she retracted and rested her hands in her lap, nervously fidgeting with the folds of her dress under the table cloth. This was not happening. This couldn't be happening.

"Ja..." Christoph added, not knowing what else to say. "What are you doing here?"

"There's a psychology convention in town, and I am giving a speech this weekend on the effects of music in psychotherapy. I'm here with that big group over there." Jackie pointed at the table and Christoph instinctively turned to look behind him. "How have you been, Chris? It's been so long! I heard there's a big premier tonight. Are you attending?"

Christoph nodded, trying to be tasteful in both his mannerisms and responses. He still shot worried glances at Amaya who looked visibly uncomfortable.

"Yes, I am in the film, so I will be attending the premier with my girlfriend here." He gestured at Amaya.

The moment Christoph said 'girlfriend' and gestured to Amaya, Jackie's eyebrows went up, and she scrutinized Amaya over again. The redhead could see plain as day in Jackie's expression that she did not approve. It infuriated Amaya that this woman who had given Christoph up long ago had the audacity to be so rude to her. It also made her feel insecure; Jackie was apparently a very intelligent woman, probably far more than Amaya. Giving a speech like that indicated that she was likely had her doctorate or even her PhD. And Amaya...well she was just an artist.

Noticing the way Jackie glared at Amaya, Christoph was getting more irritated than he was awkward. He wanted Jackie to leave, but he was plagued by his own politeness. He wasn't sure how to get rid of her.

"Girlfriend?" Jackie asked, her arms remaining folded against her chest. She looked at Amaya again, taking note again of how young she looked. "I didn't know you were into...younger women, Chris."

The comment annoyed Christoph, and finally, he had had enough. He looked up at Jackie and narrowed his eyes. His brows furrowed and he leaned forward against the table.

"That is none of your business, Jackie," he said calmly. "Now if you'll please excuse us. I think your friends over there are waiting for you."

Presently, Amaya's face was red with anger, and she would have given anything to rip that woman's face off. She shot a spiteful glare up at Jackie and was about to say something when Christoph decided himself that enough was enough by politely but firmly putting her in her place. When Jackie had made the remark that she did, it was crystal clear to Amaya that she had come over to poke her nose where it didn't belong and possibly stir up some shit with her. Amaya wanted to stand up and punch the bitch her for her caustic remark, but she knew that it would be in bad taste and bad for Christoph's image if the Paparazzi were to see and label her as "wild."

"Yes, my friends are waiting," Jackie sniffed. "I just wanted to come and chat since it's been ages since I've seen you." She glanced at Amaya. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's mine," Amaya replied through gritted teeth. When Jackie turned to leave, she mouthed, "Bitch."

She wondered if Jackie had been like that while she and Christoph were married. Christoph had never gone into any details about his previous marriage, but if that's how she acted all the time, then it wasn't a big surprise that it didn't last long. To Amaya, she certainly seemed to have that controlling, overbearing personality that would make it near impossible for someone to live with her, especially someone as wonderful and kind as Christoph.

With that Jackie turned and rejoined her table, and Amaya crossed her arms. "What a fucking twat," she mumbled under her breath.

She threw her white cloth napkin down in the middle of the table. Her salad was only half-eaten, but Amaya was presently too pissed off to eat anything else. It was rare for her to lose her appetite, but Jackie's uncalled for attitude had done it in.

She was not upset at Christoph. In fact, she was grateful that he had the sense and grace enough to run the bitch off in a far better way than she would have handled it, but it still didn't change the fact that she had been rudely insulted and for no reason.

"Well. I think I'm quite finished here," she huffed, unable to keep the tone out of her voice.

Christoph felt horridly embarrassed and awkward at this point. It made him feel worse that Amaya couldn't even finish her salad, nor did she want to stay. It was certainly turning into one hell of a reunion for them. It was neither of their faults, and Christoph had no way of knowing his ex-wife would be in that part of LA, let alone in that restaurant. Christoph was utterly mortified, and all he could do now was take out his wallet and leave money on the table for the salads, the drinks, and a tip.

He got up from his chair and helped Amaya up, and swiftly they left the restaurant. It seemed as if Amaya would not tolerate being in even a five-mile radius of that woman. Christoph followed her as she stormed down the sidewalk, desperately trying to find the words to say to resolve all that had happened.

"Amaya...wait. Wait," he said, reaching out to grab her by the arm. "Stop!"

The redhead paused, but she tore her arm out of Christoph's grasp and stared at him coldly.

"Please...I-I'm so sorry that happened. If I had known she was there, I would have warned you or...I would have done something. I..." He tried to find his words again and calm his thought process enough to translate what he was thinking or it would all come out in German. "I'm sorry, Amaya. Let me make it up to you. We can go somewhere else. Anywhere else. What do you want to do?"

Christoph put his hands on her shoulders, his eyes gazing desperately into hers, and pleading to her through them that she not be angry with him. He knew he had not done anything wrong, but it was in his nature sometimes to take something out of his control and burden himself with it.

"I want to go as far as humanely possible! That's what I want to do!" Amaya declared, her voice raising a few decibels. She crossed her arms and scowled, exhaling heavily through her nostrils. "No, actually, what I really wanna do is rip her fucking head off and spit down her neck! That's what I wanna do!"

She inhaled a breath, and fiery anger had ignited in her green eyes.

"If she were anyone else, Christoph, I'da punched her without a second thought and damn sure no remorse!"

Her southern-midwestern accent came out more as she spoke, though she struggled to reign in her hot temper.

"But I kept it civil for you. I ain't mad at you. It's not your fault, but I sure as hell didn't plan on spending part of my lunch being insulted and judged by my boyfriend's ex-fucking-wife!"

Amaya was so mad that she was trembling and her face was red. She was trying so hard not to be upset, and not take it out on Christoph. It wasn't his fault at all, and she knew that. She pulled out of his grasp and flopped down on the nearest bench. She couldn't even think clearly because all she could feel was burning anger all the way to her very core. She drummed her fingers against the cool metal, itching to punch something but lacking the proper target. She gave herself a few minutes to simmer down before attempting speaking.

"I-I am not upset at you, Christoph," she said again, to clarify that her anger was not meant to be directed at him. "I just...It's just that...that was so fucking cheap, you know? And so uncalled for!"

The anger that seethed through Amaya left Christoph standing there a bit dumbfounded. He had not seen her behave like that before, and though it was not directed at him, he still could not help the feeling that it everything that had happened was his fault. Maybe if he had excused themselves sooner, Jackie wouldn't have been able to say anything like that to Amaya. But then again, there was no way he could have anticipated the way Jackie would treat Amaya. Christoph felt that though he had not seen Jackie in years, she perhaps still had feelings for him, and seeing him with Amaya had caused her to be jealous. If that were any other circumstance, he was fairly certain Jackie would not have acted the way she did.

After Amaya had pulled out of his grasp and plopped herself onto a bench, Christoph sighed and sat quietly beside her. He decided that it was best to not utter a word and let her cool down on her own. Her voice speaking again almost startled him. He ran his hand through his hair and along his jawline after she spoke, and tried to gather intelligible words.

"I'm sorry she has made you feel that way. Had I more sense, I would have stopped it sooner. I do not agree with the way she treated you, Amaya. I cannot answer for her behavior."

"Well, why would you even try?" Amaya asked him, finally simmering down a little. "Neither one of us expected that to happen, so there wasn't anything you could do, Christoph. There's no point in feeling badly over it and no point in trying to make up for her ridiculous behavior."

She sighed. "Honestly, I'm sure we're going to get a lot of flack over the age difference between us anyway, and I'm prepared for it. I probably shouldn't have taken what happened in there so personally, but after the condescending way she spoke to me and...and looked at me, how could I not? I might come from simple roots, but I'm not stupid."

Amaya crossed her feet at the ankles, smoothed the wrinkles out of her bicycle-printed dress, and rested her hands in her lap. This was not how she wanted her long-awaited reunion with Christoph to be. She had been so excited for him to finally come to L.A., and all she had wanted was just to have lunch with her adorable boyfriend, maybe hang out for a little while, attend the premier, go to dinner afterward, and then go back to his hotel and make love to him. She had even put in her nipple rings for the occasion and had the barbell for her tongue piercing in a tiny box in her purse since he seemed to like her clit piercing so much back in Vienna.

But then his stupid ex-wife had to show up and ruin everything. What the hell had he been thinking? She wasn't even that pretty, for one, and for another, she was a total bitch. Was she like that when Christoph was married to her? If that was the case, then Amaya could see why it didn't last. But part of her knew right away why he might have married her; she was apparently damn intelligent and so was he. She could challenge him intellectually while Amaya felt like she did not have much to offer him in that area, aside from the mutual enjoyment of books and her creativity.

Honestly, Amaya couldn't remember Christoph ever telling her anything about Jackie, other than what little he had mentioned in passing. In fact, she never even knew her name until today. Amaya had been curious about what had happened with his marriage, but she didn't think it was her business to ask. She'd always operated on the belief that if Christoph wanted her to know about it, then he would tell her when he was ready, when he felt like she had earned the right to know. And it honestly wasn't a huge deal to Amaya since there didn't seem to be any competition and no children were involved.

But now that Jackie had appeared, hopefully for the first and last time, Amaya felt that she ought to know at this point. She had been so open with Christoph about her own past relationships and hid nothing from him. A part of her felt even a little betrayed that he had not divulged the circumstances behind his previous marriage as she had with her own last failed relationship.

She let out a shaky sigh. "I-I'm sorry, Christoph. I didn't want to spend one of our first days together in weeks like this."

Jackie may have seemed like an utter fool to Amaya, especially for her behavior, but she wasn't always like that. There had been a time, when they first met, when Christoph and Jackie did love each other. Unfortunately, they just differed too much and he chose his career over her. Perhaps it was his fault that she was so bitter. These thoughts reared up in his mind, which made Christoph feel even worse. Perhaps he needed more work with women.

Christoph finally sighed quietly and nodded, as if to reassure himself. "I'm sorry that happened either way," he started, his eyes on his lap. "It isn't your fault that she behaved that way towards you. If anything, it was mine and I'm sorry."

Finally, Christoph stood from the bench and dropped his hands in his pockets. There was a still awkwardness he could not shake, but he could not let this go on. There was still a premiere to get to and much to do, and not enough time in which to do it. He had a meeting with Adam soon about the premiere, and he still had to shower, shave, and change into his suit.

"Let's forget about it for now. We don't have much time. Come, what would you like to do?"

Amaya did not want to just 'forget about it for now.' She wanted very much to ask Christoph for the truth. She wanted to tell him how she was feeling, that Jackie had more than insulted her; she had made her feel inadequate and insecure. She made Amaya question why Christoph wanted to be with her and not his ex-wife. She wanted to talk it out so they never had to deal with it ever again.

She just knew the minute she did, however, it would very likely turn into a fight. She didn't want him to think she was starting a fight with him but at the same time she wanted to know about Jackie so she could put it to rest in her mind.

Amaya finally sighed and pushed aside her own feelings. "I just wanted time alone with you today, Christoph. I don't really care what we do."

Christoph sighed and submitted to the fact that she was very well still not herself, but there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment. Women sometimes just needed to be left to stew on things. He nodded and wrapped an arm tentatively around her shoulders.

"Would you like to come to my hotel with me for a little while? Or perhaps you'd like to accompany me to my meeting with Adam?"

Amaya was going to stew on this in the back of her mind as she tried to make sense of what could possibly have merited Jackie acting like that toward her. In one way, she was glad that Christoph stopped Jackie before she had a chance to really piss her off, but at the same time, why didn't he also tell her that she couldn't speak to Amaya that way? And why had Jackie acted like such a bitch? Was she not over Christoph like he was over her? Was she acting out of jealousy? Regret? And what about Christoph? Did he still secretly care about her, even if it had ended a long time ago?

She honestly did not care that he had been married before. Or did she and just didn't want to admit it? No, no. She did not care about it. It was a failed relationship like any other, and Amaya herself had been through plenty of those. But she was curious, and she certainly wanted now to know about that part of his life, not to be nosy or make an issue out of it, but mainly because she just couldn't make sense of why his ex-wife had been so hateful toward her. She had gone from being plum pissed off and wanting to beat Jackie's ass to being just plain confused and pissed off.

The way he cautiously slid his arm around her shoulders told Amaya that he was still uneasy with the whole thing, or perhaps maybe just with her because he knew she was still livid. She just hoped that she would cool off enough and forget about it long enough to have a good time and not completely ruin the day or their evening at the premiere.

Amaya checked the time on her cell phone. Then she pursed her lips. "I think I'm just going to go home and start getting ready," she told him. "And you said you had to meet with your agent and get ready yourself." She got to her feet and smoothed the wrinkles from her dress. "The commute by bus line will take forever unless I leave now."

"Of course," he replied, getting to his feet himself. He gazed at her quietly, the tension thick in the air between them.

"I'll be there at your apartment to pick you up at five," he said to her with a quiet voice, not wanting to displease her further. He did not like how much of a problem all of this had become. But he ventured a cautious smile regardless and lightly kissed her on the cheek. "I cannot wait to see how beautiful you will look."

"Yeah...the dress is really nice," Amaya replied as she slowly made her way to the bus stop. The schedule said another bus would be along in about five minutes to pick up passengers, so she took out her pass. "Well, I guess I'll see you at five."

Christoph sighed and nodded. The disappointment over how badly their lunch had been ruined was evident between them. He had not meant for any of this to happen. He had just wanted to enjoy lunch with the beautiful woman he loved since they had been apart for so long.

But sometimes, one cannot always get what one wants.


	5. The Premiere

When Amaya reached the apartment she shared with Nikki, she was still a bit miffed over Jackie's appearance. Aside from the fact that she really did need to get ready, she really wanted to talk to Nikki and divulge all the details of their encounter. Their luncheon had gone terribly wrong, and Amaya had not wanted to leave things like that with Christoph, yet there was no enough time to sit down and talk about it at length. That and she didn't want him to think she was being nosy or rude or possibly cause an unneccessary fight between them.

Amaya unlocked the door, and she came in to find Nikki playing a game on her computer. She was chatting with another player on her Steam account, but when she heard the door open, she turned and glanced at Amaya.

"Hey, my friend is home. I gotta go..." Nikki removed her headset and glanced up at her friend. "How was lunch with Christoph?" Then she noticed the way Amaya carried herself as she set her things down and was oddly quiet. "Uh oh. What happened?"

Amaya sat at the center island in the kitchen and propped her head up on her arm. "His ex-wife is what fucking happened."

"Wait...what?" Nikki asked, already getting down a couple of mugs for coffee. "His ex-wife? She lives here in L.A.?"

Amaya sighed. "No...at least I don't think she does, but she showed up at the restaurant at which we were eating, and she was a real fucking bitch to me."

Nikki put Amaya's favorite coffee, caramel macciatto, into the Kerug. "What happened?"

Amaya shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Christoph and I went to that Italian cafe for lunch, and her group was attending some kind of convention. Jackie is her name, and apparently she's some kind of psychotherapist and she was giving a speech at this convention, according to her. She saw Christoph and just _had_ to come over and say her unwanted hello, and when she did she fucking scrutinized me all over and she was really condescending to me. She told Christoph she didn't think he was into younger women. He made her leave after that, but I was too fucking pissed to even finish my lunch."

"Wow," Nikki remarked. "What are the odds of that happening?"

"I dunno, but I damn well better not ever see the bitch again."

"What did Christoph do? I mean, like how did he react?"

"Well...he was polite but firm when she said what she did." She sighed. "I...I guess he was just as surprised she was there."

"No doubt." The coffee finished brewing and she handed the cup to Amaya before making one of her own. "Then what happened?"

"We left," Amaya said. "I was _so_ fucking mad. Not really at him but just..." She sighed and took a sip. "...I got mad at the way she treated me and..." She looked down into her cup. "...and how she made me feel."

"How did she make you feel?"

"Like shit," Amaya admitted. "She insulted me, but she also reminded me of my own insecurities. Like, the fact that she has her doctorate just made me feel inadequate. I mean, someone like that is _so_ much better for Christoph. She is intelligent and so is he, and I can see why he married her. He deserves...someone better, someone that isn't me."

"Hey, whoa," Nikki said, tilting her head with concern. "You shouldn't feel like that. Christoph is with you for his own reasons. Did you tell him any of this?"

Amaya shook her head. "We haven't talked it all the way out, and really, I'm sort of afraid to say anything." She sighed. "And...I think I feel a little betrayed that he's never said much to me about his ex-wife. I mean, I knew she existed, but I feel at this point he would have at least told me about why his marriage ended. I didn't even know her _name_ until today. I've been so open about my own past with him that it's almost not fair that he hasn't told me much about that part of his life. I never made it my business to know, even though I've always been curious, and I always felt he'd tell me when he was ready, but he hasn't. After today, I feel like it _should_ be my business."

Nikki listened carefully to Amaya's feelings on the matter. "Well he once said it was a long time ago, right?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe he just didn't see as important or something," Nikki suggested. "Or maybe he's just been trying to forget. Maybe it was a bad marriage."

Amaya shrugged. "Even if it doesn't seem important, I wish he would have told me before all this happened."

"If you're so curious, why haven't _you_ asked him, yet?"

Nikki asked a valid question. "I guess I'm afraid to. I didn't want to make it seem like I was being nosy or jealous or give him the impression I'm out to cause a fight."

"Well, maybe he won't see it that way. I haven't met him, yet, but I imagine he'd be really mature about it." Nikki sipped her coffee. "I do think you two need to talk it out, even if you have to directly ask him about why his marriage to this Jackie person ended. I mean, you don't have anything to be afraid of if he really and truly does love you. And I dunno...maybe his ex's behavior to you was indicative of some sort of jealousy. Maybe she still loves him, and when she saw him with this young, beautiful redhead, maybe she got upset that he's moved on."

"I dunno..." Amaya trailed. "All I know was that she was a bitch and she made me feel like shit. If she was like that when he was married to her, then I can see why it didn't last. He's too sweet for her. Plus, she wasn't even that pretty. A pig's ass looked better than her."

Nikki snorted and cut up laughing. "Well, I guess I can't blame you for that." She sighed lightly. "I really hope that you can Christoph can talk things out, though. Speaking of, is he picking you up for the premiere?"

"Yes, he is." She smiled a little. "He said he wants to meet you. I've talked a lot about you."

"Really?" Nikki asked. She grinned. "Well, I've been excited to meet him, too. I want to see for myself who has stolen my bestie's heart away!"

Amaya finished her coffee and stood from the table. "He'll be here around five o'clock, so you'll definitely get to meet him."

"I can't wait," Nikki replied. She nudged Amaya. "You hungry since you didn't get to finish your lunch?"

"Yeah, actually I am. But I better not eat anything big because we're going out to dinner tonight and probably to some parties."

Nikki chuckled. "Don't wait up?"

"Don't wait up."

Amaya fixed herself a small T.V. dinner to hold her over for now. When she was finished eating that, she headed to the bathroom where she took a quick shower and began getting ready for the premiere. It was only 3:30, but her hair was thick and it took a long time to dry and style for special occasions. Plus she had to make sure she looked perfect for the occasion since it was likely there would be many pictures as there had been at Cannes.

She was finally completely dressed and styled just in time. She stepped out from the bedroom in her purple cocktail dress with silver sandal heels and silver earrings. She was never much for gold, and purple was always her favorite color, for it brought out her green eyes and her red hair. She hoped she looked good enough to present herself on the red carpet, yet as she waited anxiously for Christoph to show up, she became increasingly nervous.

"Whoa...you look amazing!" Nikki remarked from her place in her chair. She had returned to playing her game for now, but she did notice how awesome Amaya looked. She grinned at Amaya. "You'll make Christoph forget he ever _had_ a wife."

Just then, a knock came on the door, and Amaya and Nikki glanced at one another. It was undoubtedly Christoph, and he was right on time, as usual. Amaya went over and answered it to find her sweetheart standing there having changed into a suit worthy of a premiere. He offered a cautious smile as he stood out in the hallway.

"Hey," Amaya greeted timidly. "Well, how do I look?"

The skirt of her dress swished around her while she walked, and Christoph smiled and twirled her around so he could see her in her full, beautiful glory. It was quite rare for her to wear dresses, but for Christoph, she always wanted to look nice.

"You look stunning!" he replied with a broad smile. Then he kissed her cheek as Amaya closed the door behind him. He pushed a lock of her bangs back. "You will be the talk of the town!"

"I dunno about all _that_..." Amaya trailed.

Amaya led Christoph into an open living room with a couch, coffee table, chairs, end tables, and floor lamps. On stands near the end tables were Amaya's purple Fender electric guitar and Nikki's acoustic guitar. There was also a kitchen with an island, a bathroom, and two separate bedrooms. Amaya had claimed one corner of the living room with a corner desk that held her computer with two monitors, a charging MacBook Pro, and a Wacom tablet on a stand. Beside the desk was a tall bookshelf full of various art books, sketchbooks, and photo albums. She also had a book case full of novels, some of them sets in a series. He noticed that she had all the Harry Potter books on one shelf along with _The Chronicles of Narnia_ , and _The Lord of the Rings._ The walls on Amaya's side was full of vintage metal aviation signs; he noticed one said, "Pilot on Duty 24 hrs a day." She also had various pictures that she had picked up at anime, gaming, comic book conventions, and rock concerts. The top shelf of her desk was lined with small figurines, most of them from World of Warcraft, as well as dragons, wolves, Star Trek, model airplanes, anime figures, and a wooden doll she often used for drawing poses. The entire area, Christoph thought, was an unorganized conglomeration that covered every aspect of her personality as well as her scattered creativity.

Nikki's area was less of a mess, considering she was a bit of a neat freak when it came to organization, but it was filled with just as many interesting objects that expressed her own interests and personalities, most of them being video game references and figures from the Matrix. A vintage Nazi officer's cap hung off the top edge of the desk, and various posters of funny, printed memes were tacked up on the cork board that lined the back part of her desk. She, too, also had a bookcase filled with books, though her choices gravitated more toward dystopian type novels such as _Fahrenheit 451_.

He noticed her friend lounging in her chair at the desk. She had very short, pixie-cut hair, blue eyes, and even sitting, she looked like she was tall. When Christoph compared the living spaces of Amaya and her roommate, he could clearly see why they were such good friends; they had much in common.

Nikki then turned to Christoph, stood, and extended her hand. "And this must be the mysterious, charming Austrian that Amaya keeps telling me so much about! Es freut mich sehr, Sie zu treffen! Ich heiße Nikki!"

Christoph, amazed that the other woman spoke German so well, smiled when he took her hand and shook it. "Ah ja! Mein Name ist Christoph Waltz. Amaya hat mir viel von Ihnen erzählt!"

Hearing the depth of Christoph's voice when he spoke to her in German practically turned Nikki into ice cream that had melted in the sun. His accent was beautiful, and _he_ was handsome. She was truly happy for Amaya, but she also envied her _just_ a tad.

Amaya gave a bit of a laugh. "Oh, I forgot to mention that Nikki's fluent in German. She minored in it in college."

Christoph smiled charmingly. "You're very good! I can hardly tell you have an accent." He put his hands into his pockets. "If German was your minor, what was your major?"

"Film editing," Nikki replied. "I almost went into teaching, but it doesn't pay very well here in the U.S. I couldn't justify having student loan debt that was more than my annual salary."

Amaya and Nikki were like peas in the same pod. They were so much alike that one would almost think they were twins. They had met back in college and shared a dorm then. Amaya had lived in her own apartment for a while after college, but after her ordeal with Dan and the fact that she was gone a lot for various jobs, it was easier to have a roommate to watch her things while she was gone for a lengthy amount of time.

They chatted for a few moments before Christoph noticed the time on his watch; they had to leave soon or they would be late, and Christoph wanted them to sit with the cast. The rest of his fellow actors would be waiting on him, and he didn't like to keep people waiting if he could help it.

"Are you ready to go, Darling?" Christoph asked, holding Amaya by the waist.

She nodded. "I even have my overnight bag packed." Amaya turned to Nikki and smirked. "Again, don't wait up!"

"Oh, I didn't expect to anyway," Nikki replied. "God, you have no idea how friggin' jealous I am. But have fun and go make a whole crowd jealous for me."

Once they said their goodbyes to Nikki, Christoph led Amaya downstairs and outside her apartment. Waiting for them in the parking lot was a beautiful limo, and Amaya's eyes widened.

Christoph glanced at Amaya and grinned at the stunned expression on her pretty face. "They insist we arrive in such a fashion, you know. Just like in Cannes."

The driver got out of the limo and opened the door for them to get in. Christoph allowed Amaya to enter first before sliding into the seat after her. The driver then closed the door, and Amaya found herself glancing around at the limo's interior. She had never been in a stretch limo in her entire life. Even at Cannes they were driven to the festival in a black, brand new Mercedes-Benz.

The seats in which they sat stretched down the left side of the limo, and to the right was a mini bar equipped with a bottle of wine, tiny bottles of hard liquor, and hors d'oeuvres. Christoph explained that if she was hungry, they could help themselves to the food, courtesy of the Weinstein Company.

The only thing that tainted this once-in-a-lifetime ride was their awful encounter with that bitch Jackie from earlier. She wanted to put it from her mind, and perhaps she should have just resolved the issue with him right then, but she had not wanted to spend their only day together in some sort of fight. It wasn't his fault that she showed up at the most inopportune time, but the lack of information was what really bothered her the most. If she'd had some more about his past with her, then perhaps it would shed some light on why Jackie would behave that way toward her. The only thing that would make sense was that perhaps Jackie had never gotten over Christoph as he had gotten over her.

"Would you like some wine?" Christoph asked.

Amaya's thoughts were interrupred, and she glanced over at him and offered tentative smile. She hoped that the thoughtful expression on her face would not betray the fact that she was indeed thinking of Christoph and his ex-wife. Nothing, however, would ever change the fact that Amaya loved Christoph.

"Yeah, that'll be fine," she said, putting her thoughts aside for now.

He worked off the cork and then poured her a flute of champagne and handed it to her. He smiled softly at her as he watched her take the glass and lift it to her full, delectable lips.

"So was this your idea?" Amaya asked him.

"Ah, well, no," Christoph began, "though I wish it had been. The Weinstein Company sent the limo. I take it you've never been in one?"

"Not in my entire life."

"Well, that makes two of us."

"I _am_ nervous though," Amaya said, gazing out the window. She adjusted herself in the seat.

She had seen red carpet events on T.V., and they really were quite the spectacle. Going to Cannes had only been a warm-up of what was to come. She knew she would be photographed along with him when they got out, and it made her feel nervous and self-conscious. She did not want to trip, nor did she want to say anything silly if she were to get interviewed.

"I understand," Christoph replied. "Truthfully, I am a bit nervous myself." He ventured an arm around her shoulders, and she detected the familiar scent of his Prada cologne. "But I'll be right here by your side."

"They won't want to interview me, will they? Like at Cannes?"

"If they do, just answer truthfully but without revealing too much information. That's all."

He looked down at her and offered a tender smile to help settle her nerves. Then, he gave her a few soft kisses to her cheek as he held her close to him. What Amaya did not know, however, was that he, too, was troubled over the encounter earlier that day. He felt as though the incident had not been properly resolved between himself and Amaya.

His marriage to Jackie was so long ago that it and any feelings he may have had for her were nothing more than a mere memory. In fact, none of it held even the slightest spark compared to the intense bonfire of love he felt for Amaya. Nothing would ever replace or change that. Nothing. And he hoped she knew that.

The traffic grew far heavier when they reached downtown Los Angeles for the premiere. The main streets were blocked off to all traffic but the arriving limos. The premiere was at Grauman's Chinese Theater, which, in Amaya's opinion, was one of the neatest-looking theaters in L.A.

The champagne was finished, and Christoph put the used glasses away. When he and Amaya looked out the window, they could see a huge crowd ahead and people hurrying down the sidewalks on both sides of the street. In just mere moments, they would be greeted with screams and flashbulbs.

"I don't know why I'm so nervous," Amaya remarked. "I forgot how big Cannes was. I hate having my picture taken, and I just hope I don't do anything stupid..."

Christoph took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I promise you'll be fine. Just stay close to me."

When it was finally their turn to unload, Amaya's breath hitched a little. The driver got out and opened their door, and they were accosted with people screaming and calling for their favorite actors. On the red carpet just ahead of them was Diane Kruger, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie. They were waving at the crowd as cameras flashed from every angle around them.

Christoph was like a thoroughbred on a racetrack. He was lively and full of energy. He looked around at all the cameras and posed and made faces to please the crowd. The more amused they seemed, the more he got into hamming it up. Amaya couldn't help but giggle at his antics. He was far more outgoing than she.

Nevertheless, Christoph still made sure that she was by his side. Reporters, journalists, and photographers all asked Christoph questions, but the most popular one seemed to be, "Whos' the pretty lady you have with you?" Christoph would smile politely, play it cool, and tell them that she was his girlfriend. One reporter was gutsy enough to ask how old she was, but he tastefully ignored his question.

The entire ordeal was a whirlwind for Amaya, and it was also a bit disconcerting. It was clear to her as she watched Christoph interact with the media that he loved the attention. As for her, not so much. But it was still quite odd that the media also seemed to want a piece of her as well. Photographers asked her to pose with Christoph, which she did. An interviewer for E! asked about her dress, and she mentioned that it was Gucci. What she _didn't_ tell her was that she had gotten it it at a high end consignment shop she often visited. There was no way in hell she could afford to buy a dress from the _actual_ Gucci store right here in L.A. She hoped it would go unnoticed. The media were like sharks; they could smell even the most minute of fashion blunders.

Once they finished up with the press without any mishaps, Christoph gathered with Quentin and the other cast members for a group photoshoot and then separate ones. Afterward, they were released for the official screening of the movie.

Christoph led Amaya toward the section that was reserved for him and the other cast members. Because she was his date, a spot had also been reserved for her. Christoph allowed her to slide into the row first as he followed behind. She could hardly believe her eyes when she saw she was about to sit next to Diane Kruger and Eli Roth.

Amaya cleared a lock of her hair back, smoothed her dress beneath her, and sat in the plush red seat as Christoph settled in next to her. She glanced at Diane who gave her a slight smile and a small wave.

"Hello," Diane said with a polite smile.

"Uh...hi," Amaya said awkwardly, offering a timid smile. Her face reddened.

Eli noticed Christoph, and then he noticed Amaya. "Hey there! You must be Christoph's girlfriend. He's mentioned a lot about you on the set. Your storyboards were awesome!"

"Oh...thank you," Amaya returned, shyly.

Eli grinned, and he got Christoph's attention behind Amaya, mouthing, "She's cute!"

Eli and Christoph had grown to be friends after so long on the set. Christoph had admired Eli's work as a director, and the two talked often when they had the down time to do so. That being said, they were growing rather close. Christoph noticed Eli mouthing that Amaya was cute and he grinned. He nodded in agreement, knowing that he was right, but his cheeks reddened a little. 

Quentin, who sat on the other side of Eli, looked over and saw Amaya sitting next to Christoph.

"Hey, Amaya!" he greeted enthusiastically. "I hope his Jew Hunter act doesn't scare you away from him!" he teased and laughed.

Eli chuckled with Quentin, and Christoph looked less amused by it. He turned to look at Amaya.  

"They're only teasing," he said quietly.

Noticing the boys laughing about something, Diane leaned over toward Amaya and grinned."They're a bunch of fools, those three. Match made in heaven."

Amaya offered a giggle of their own. "I think that's pretty much _most_ men when they get around each other. And they say _we're_ bad."

Diane rolled her eyes but grinned just as playfully as the three beside them did. 

Amaya gave a slight chuckle at Diane's remark about Christoph and his two friends being goofballs. Men, no matter how sophisticated and cute, were always bound to be _men_ , though she knew Christoph was probably much more subdued about it.

Finally, everyone grew quiet as the theater lights dimmed slowly to darkness and the light of the projector turned on from behind. The film was about to begin and everyone else in the movie theater had hushed as well. Christoph, for the first time that evening, felt nervous. It was always nerve-wracking to see one's performance in a film for the first time. 

As soon as Amaya saw the opening scene, she recalled how she had been somewhere in the background watching it be filmed on Christoph's personal invitation. She never in her wildest dreams thought that she would be sitting by his side at the premiere with him as his steady girlfriend.

As she watched the final product, she saw how perfectly the performances came together. She recognized the sets she'd helped paint and the camera shots she had drawn on her storyboards. But most of all, she watched her Austrian boyfriend take on the role of the charming but deviously intimidating Hans Landa. He was incredible and played the part _so_ well. She hoped everyone else felt the same about his performance as she.

The "That's a bingo!" scene was one of her top favorites, even earning a snort of laughter from her and the rest of the audience. She also liked, "Say goodbye to your Nazi balls" in the bar shootout scene. Besides her adorable boyfriend, she loved Brad Pitt and how he portrayed Aldo Raine. For some reason, Aldo reminded her of a relative she had near Arkansas who spoke and acted scarily similar to Aldo.

The movie turned out fantastic, and little did Christoph know, his performance in particular was becoming quite a hot topic from the very moment the film ended. It seemed that the little-known Austrian actor had upstaged even Brad Pitt, a Hollywood A-lister.

The lights slowly brightened back up after the film came to a close with _Rabbia E Tarantella_ by Ennio Morricone playing through the credits. The song was a perfect fit to wrap up the entire film, and everyone applauded excitedly at its end.

Christoph smiled, feeling both pride and excitement over it all. Although, just because he was pleased with his performance, he wasn't sure how everyone else felt about it. He couldn't necessarily hear the quiet whispers of the other movie goers. 

He and the others stood from their seats, stretching, and talking amongst themselves about the plans for a celebration out in L.A. later.

Christoph took Amaya's hand and squeezed it affectionately. "So what did you think?" he asked her. 

Amaya smiled at him tenderly. "You were great, Christoph," she said. "Maybe my opinion's biased, but I think you made the movie. I'm not judge of talent, but I knew you would be good from the moment I watched you film that first scene in France." They slowly made their way toward the aisles. "Other than that, I thought the plot was great, and you know how much I love World War II anything." Then she grinned. "I wish that's how Hitler _actually_ died."

When they got out into the aisles, Quentin caught up to Amaya and Christoph. "Hey! We're gonna go out to a late dinner tonight and maybe have some drinks," he said. "You both can come if you want."

The offer was not surprising. Knowing Quentin, he had probably planned a party long in advance, and he likely had a big party after a great deal of events, not just after a movie premiere.

Christoph smiled and looked to Amaya for approval. "Sounds like fun!" he said. "What do you think, Amaya? Want to come?" 

He looked at her with gentle, hopeful eyes. Perhaps she'd loosen up and have a bit of fun after a rocky start to their day, though he was certainly glad she enjoyed his performance. Her opinion of his performance mattered to him greatly.

Amaya hesitated a little. She already felt terribly out of place among all these celebrities. She never was one for social gatherings, mainly because she was shy and somewhat socially awkward, and the eminent probability of being around some A-list celebrities amplified it by at least a zillion in her book. At least she was already familiar with Brad and Angelina

Despite her own uncertainty, it was clear from the expression on Christoph's face that he really wanted her to go.

"Sure, why not?" Amaya finally agreeing. "I'm actually really hungry."

She offered a slight smile at Christoph, though her eyes made it clear she was nervous.

"Great!" Quentin exclaimed. "We're going to a place just down the street called Delphine...really great food..." He winked at Christoph. "And a fine place to take a beautiful girl to dinner."

Amaya flushed. She knew what _that_ implication was.

"So we'll see you there?" Quentin asked.

Christoph was delighted that Amaya agreed to come. He would make sure that, this time, she'd have a great time. What were the odds of Jackie being at Delphine, too? If she was, it was some sort of sick cosmic joke.

"Absolutely!" he answered Quentin, bringing his arm around Amaya and letting her body gently meet his.

"Great!" Quentin exclaimed, and they all began moving out of the theater. "See you there!"


	6. Assurance

The night was more alive than it was during the day in Los Angeles, and when Christoph and Amaya arrived at Delphine, it already looked very busy. Delphine was a very high-end restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, and it was fairly common for the stars to schmooze here. The hostess led them back to a private room where the party would take place since Quentin apparently had the foresight to make reservations.

Christoph took Amaya's hand into his and led her toward the table. The other cast members began arriving, including Melanie Laurent. Amaya was not sure whether she was very happy to see Melanie, for back in Cannes, she had gotten extra touchy with Christoph, and Amaya had not liked that one bit. Eli and B.J. had arrived, and they each greeted Christoph and Amaya. Diane showed up just as they were seated at the table and handed menus, and she greeted Amaya kindly after greeting Christoph. Quentin was the last to arrive, and after greeting the rest of the cast, he approached Christoph and offered a hug to the Austrian.

"Hey, Chris! You wanna make a bar run?" he asked.

Christoph glanced at Amaya, and the redhead shook her head, offering a slight smile. "Oh, go on. But bring me an amaretto sour, okay?"

He returned the smile and kissed Amaya on the top of the head as he stood. "Of course, Liebling."

Quentin put a brotherly arm around Christoph's shoulders as they headed toward the bar area. Both men hopped up on bar stools, and Quentin hailed the bartender. He ordered a tonic and gin for himself while Christoph ordered a scotch on the rocks.

"So Christoph, how did your reunion go with Amaya? I know you were missing her pretty badly."

Christoph glanced over at Quentin as he was reminded of the awful luncheon that had gone wrong earlier today. He frowned, for not only did it go wrong, but it had been after he waited to be with her again after so many weeks away from her. Christoph sighed heavily, and he was more relieved than expected when he received his scotch.

"It was fine at first, but earlier today, it did not go well at all."

"How so?"

"Would you believe it if I told you that my ex-wife from many, many years ago found me at the restaurant at which Amaya and I were dining?"

"It didn't go so well," he admitted, looking first at the caramel color of his aged whiskey, then back again at Quentin with a half-attempt at a smile. "It started wonderful. You wouldn't believe it if I told you my ex-wife from many, many years ago found me at the restaurant Amaya and I were at for lunch." 

"Yikes...seriously? What happened?"

Christoph sighed again and took a gulp of the scotch. "She practically insulted Amaya in that round about way of hers. Anyway, it really upset Amaya. I don't know what to do." 

"Shit..." Quentin trailed. He rubbed his jowl and sipped his tonic. "That sucks. Tell me what happened from the beginning."

Christoph didn't feel there was much to tell, but he told Quentin what happened, how Jackie had approached the table, his utter disbelief at the odds of him seeing her, how she had treated Amaya, what she had said to him, and how he put a stop to the whole thing before things got too far gone.

Quentin nodded as he carefully listened to Christoph's story. "Alright, so...I'm assuming Amaya knew you were married before, right?"

"Well, yes, I've mentioned Jackie a few times, but I've never gone into much detail. It's been so long that I don't think it matters, really. She didn't even know her name until today."

Quentin's eyebrows rose almost to his hairline when Christoph said this. "She didn't know your ex-wife's name until today? And you never told her anything else about your marriage even after that happened?" He shook his head. "Christoph, man, you're probably in the doghouse and you don't even know it!" 

He sighed. "Listen, I'm gonna set you straight so that maybe you have a chance at getting laid tonight. A past marriage is kind of important information that she has a right to know about, regardless of how long ago it was. And from what you've told me, it sounds like Jackie never quite got over you, and she took it out on your sweet girlfriend. Feel free to disagree with me here, but I kinda think that Amaya has a right to know what happened and why your ex acted like such a bitch toward her. I mean, wouldn't you want an explanation if you were in her shoes?" Quentin took another sip of his tonic. "If I were you, the minute I got alone with Amaya, I'd tell her everything and just reassure her that you love her and only her and that you're so over your ex that you don't even feel anything for her anymore. Maybe you don't think you need to reassure Amaya but women are like that: they just need to hear it sometimes." He gave Christoph a smirk. "Man you really are rusty at this..."

Christoph shot a disapproving glance at Quentin at his final remark before chugging down his scotch and ordering another one. "Right, I agree with you on most terms," he said, his accent a little more noticeable than usual. "It's not that I wasn't going to tell her. It just never came up. And it isn't like I can explain to Amaya why Jackie did what she did because, frankly, I don't know! I had assumed she was over me by now, it's been what? Twenty years ago?" 

Christoph seemed a bit defeated by the thought. He wondered whether Amaya was still angry at him. they had't had any chance to discuss the matter further. But why would she be upset with him? He had always done what he could to prove that he loved her. Why did it matter if an incompetent ex-wife's moment of complete and utter absurdity had to make her question any of that? He sighed, and was suddenly relieved to get his second glass of scotch from the bartender. He looked at the fresh glass of amber liquid, and then took another sip.

"You think if I talk to her about it tonight, she'd feel better?" he finally asked Quentin.

"Well, it couldn't hurt, so probably. And maybe the subject didn't come up, but I'd say it probably should have after your ex insulted her and made her feel like crap. Just sayin'. I mean, maybe you didn't mean to let it go unspoken, but she doesn't know that." 

"Well, actually, I wanted to resolve it, but there really wasn't time for that. It's been a hectic day as it is. It took quite a but of finagling on my part just to meet Amaya for lunch today."

Quentin ordered another tonic and gin. "Man, women can hold a grudge for record-breaking lengths of time. Maybe your ex seeing you with a younger, prettier woman just made her jealous." The bartender handed Quentin his drink. "Just...talk to Amaya and get it out in the open. I doubt she's mad at you. I mean, she seems pretty reasonable, but your ex probably did succeed in making her feel like shit, which was probably what she wanted."

Back at the table, Amaya sat quietly sipping her glass of wine when the server brought around their food orders. She wondered what could be taking Christoph so long, but then again, he was with Quentin, so there was no telling how long it would really be.

"You're not much for conversation are you?" Melanie offered a subdued smile.

"Huh? Oh...um...I'm just naturally quiet," Amaya replied. "I tend to observe rather than partake in conversation."

Melanie nodded. "There's nothing wrong with that. It must be pretty discomforting to be sitting here with all these A-listers..."

"I'm a little more comfortable now than I was at Cannes," Amaya replied. "But I'm socially awkward enough as it is. Honestly, I think it's a colossal miracle that Christoph wanted to date me." She smiled down at her lap. "I still haven't quite figured out what he sees in me."

Melanie giggled and smiled a sweet little smile. She was a gorgeous, young Frenchwoman, and her accent was far more noticeable than Christoph's Austrian accent. She turned more to face Amaya, and leaned against the table.

"Why don't you know?" she asked rhetorically. "I mean to say, you're a beautiful, sweet woman. Christoph and I talked a lot on set, and I can see why he likes you. Oh!" Melanie's eyes suddenly lit up. "Did he tell you how much he mentioned you while you were busy during filming? He talked to me most about you. We all knew that he liked you." 

"H-he did?"

Melanie flashed another sweet, unrealistically attractive smile before glancing up behind Amaya and sitting back. "Of course! He was perfectly mad about you." 

Amaya really wanted to ask Melanie what else Christoph had said, for she looked as though she was just about ready to dish all the juicy details. She didn't think Christoph would be the kind of person to talk about her so much. 

Christoph and Quentin came up behind Amaya and sat back down at their seats. Christoph seemed a bit more mellow and reserved after the two glasses of scotch, but he was in no way intoxicated. He leaned in to kiss Amaya, and whispered in her ear, "We should talk tonight." 

Amaya turned a quizzical expression toward him. 

He offered a reassuring smile before turning toward his meal, leaving Amaya to wonder what it was he wanted to talk about. Surely, he did not intend to break up with her over what had happened at lunch. She had done nothing wrong, although she thought she may have overreacted a little to Jackie's behavior. Or at least that's what she felt Christoph probably thought.

Christoph paid much attention to her as the evening wore on. He would still make sure he looked at her with a reassuring smile, he'd take her hand into his, and hold conversation with her to make sure she didn't feel left out. He loved her more than anything, and he had needed the pep talk from Quentin.

Christoph brought his arm around Amaya, holding her against him, as they walked out of the restaurant and to the limo that waited for them at the curb. "I hope you had a fun time. They all like you very much, and that pleases me." 

"Er, yeah, it was nice," she said. "Melanie seems like a sweetheart. Her and Diane both. I'm glad I went with you."

Of course, had Amaya not seen Melanie flirt with Christoph in Cannes, she might have actually meant that, but Diane had seemed genuinely uninterested in Christoph as anything beyond friends. 

A black car pulled up to the front of the restaurant, and the driver got out to open the doors. She got into the backseat of the car with Christoph who took her small hand into his. The driver carefully pulled away from the curb and into the heavy L.A. traffic that never seemed to stop no matter what time of day or night it was. 

When they arrived at the hotel, she and Christoph pushed the button for the elevator. It dinged on their floor, and together, they stepped inside. It was silent in the elevator, and Christoph rested his hands in his pockets, staring down at his brown shoes. He was like this for a moment before glancing up at Amaya and offered her a smile. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

Amaya glanced up at him and his off-handed compliment. She returned a small smile of her own. "Thanks."

The elevator stopped on his floor and dinged. The doors slid open, and Christoph led Amaya down to his room where he pulled his card key out of his wallet and unlocked the door. He led Amaya into the lavish suite.

Christoph placed his hand on the small of her back, gently leading her to the sofa so she could sit and get comfortable. "Would you like anything? The refrigerator is pre-stocked. There's plenty to drink, alcoholic or non." 

"Hmm...I think I've had enough to drink tonight." 

He nodded. The air felt strange between them. She was being so quiet. "That's fine. Let me know if you want anything, Liebling." 

Christoph was loosening his tie as Amaya turned and noticed a set of doors that led out to a balcony behind the sofa. She hadn't really noticed it when she was here last night, presumably because she was so focused on seeing him for the first time in months. She stood and walked toward it. 

"I didn't notice this here last night." 

"Ah, yes. The curtains were still closed when you were here." 

She unlocked the door, pulled down the door handles, and opened them outward to a patio balcony complete with a warm breeze and a stunning view of the glimmering city that stretched out for miles.

"Great view..." She glanced back at Christoph. "Hey, you should come see this. It's pretty."

"Great idea," he thought. "Perhaps the view will lighten the mood."

Christoph followed her out to the balcony, the city lights bright and beautiful. It was like one of those Lite-Brites kids used to play with, and it was designed entirely for them. Christoph approached Amaya, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, holding her against him. He kissed the back of her neck, and then snuggled his nose into the crook of her neck and stayed this way quietly for just a moment. He kissed her one more time before releasing her, and walked to the edge of the balcony where he leaned against it. 

"Amaya, I said earlier that we must talk," he started slowly. He gazed once at the city, then to her. "First and foremost, I must apologize for earlier today..."

"I said that wasn't --"

"Shh...please don't speak until I am finished with what I have to say." 

Amaya fell quiet, but she nodded when his gentle eyes met hers. 

"Liebling, I was foolish for not fully disclosing my past with Jackie. What she did today was childish and uncalled for. I have no idea why she behaved that way, other than she must have been jealous of you. But..." he paused and rubbed his jowl. "...I haven't told you anything about her, and I'm sorry for that. It honestly was not important to me after so many years, so I foolishly assumed it was not important to you. So, if you'll allow, I'll tell you about what happened. If...that is what you want."

Amaya stood quietly for a moment before turning away from Christoph and gazing out over the city. "I'm...sorry if I overreacted today, Christoph. I was just...so mad that she treated me like that." 

"And you had every right to be."

Amaya sighed. "I...I thought that if you wanted to tell me, you would when you were ready. It doesn't really matter to me that you were married before, Christoph. If it really did, I wouldn't be here with you now. What matters to me is whether or not we can share things with one another. I felt it wasn't any of my business to ask, and I thought that maybe it also might be a sore subject, kind of like Dan is for me."

She frowned. "But then that happened, and I know it isn't your fault, but suddenly it did matter because here I am just minding my own business having lunch with my boyfriend whom I haven't seen in almost three weeks, and some crazy bitch — and yes, I am calling her that because that is exactly how she acted — that I have never seen before in my entire life decides to make it a point to come over and start flinging shit at me for no apparent reason. Maybe if I had known sooner or had been brave enough to ask, then that entire situation could have felt a lot less awkward and made a whole lot more sense." 

"I know, I know. Were I in your place, I imagine I would feel the same."

She shrugged. "I dunno. I feel that if we can't tell each other everything, no matter how insignificant it seems, then what's the point in being together? I could have totally not told you about Dan, but I wanted you to know. I felt you deserved the truth when you asked why my art was so dark and filled with sadness, even though it's been three years since that happened." She looked down at her hands. "I wanted to show you that I trust you." 

"I'm glad you do," he quietly said. "It was a very big step. Perhaps...I should have done the same."

She glanced over at him, the lights of L.A. glimmering in her eyes and the warm, gentle breeze teasing her thick, red strands. "I don't want you to feel forced into telling me anything if you really don't want to, Christoph. And whatever you do want to tell me, I'm good with just a general overview." 

Christoph shrugged as though he were answering an unspoken question. He gazed at her with adoration in his eyes but a hint of sadness hidden behind them. He cursed himself for not telling her about Jackie sooner. If he had, all of this would have been avoided, and their lunch earlier that day would have been wonderful. Christoph ran his fingers through his soft hair, and gave her a small, half-smile.

"No, I don't mind. I agree that we should be able to tell one another things, no matter how trivial or how important. We shouldn't be together if we can't trust each other." He sighed and interlaced his fingers as he gazed out toward the city. "It truly was something that just slipped my mind. I've been so focused on you, so in love with you, that any relationships I had in the past no longer mattered." 

He glanced down at the sidewalk below. "Anyway, Jackie and I met in a coffee shop when I was just twenty years old. I was living in New York City at the time, in Greenwich Village, and I had come here to study acting. Jackie and I did fall in love very quickly, as young people do, or so we thought. We were even quicker to act upon what we felt without thinking it through. We married within a year of our meeting. We were happy for a while, though most of my career at the time consisted of theater. When she graduated, we moved to London, but I wasn't really having much luck getting started, aside from a bit of television there and in Germany.

He shifted his weight. "She was trying to get a practice started, and I was trying to act. We wanted very different things. We had talked of having children, but I suddenly grew very busy with my work. I told her I wouldn't have enough time to properly take care of children. It would be fair on anyone. Not her, me, or kids."

Christoph paused and glanced at Amaya for just a moment to make sure she was still following. "We fought a lot about different things, even small things. It was clear neither of us felt the passion we had felt when we first met. She was upset that I was gone often, and I was just barely making enough sometimes. But acting was my passion, my everything. I couldn't give it up." Christoph suddenly looked very sad. "I didn't think I would have to choose between my career and the woman I had loved. She was unhappy with my decision to act, and I refused to get a steady job because I knew I wouldn't leave it if I did, and that would make me unhappy. I would have resented her. So we mutually decided, that it'd be best if we parted ways. I had kept in touch with her for a year after the divorce, but we soon nearly forgot about each other."

"I see..." Amaya trailed as she processed what he had told her.

So maybe Jackie hadn't been a bitch a long time ago, or maybe she wasn't now, but it was possible that seeing Christoph only reminded her of a bitter end, that her ex-husband had chosen his career over her. It probably only made it worse for her to see that Christoph had moved on and fell in love with someone else, and he had finally gotten the success he deserved. 

Part of her felt bad for Christoph. He had to make a very difficult decision, yet if it hadn't been for that decision then, she would have never been able to be with him now. 

"You shouldn't have had to make a decision like that, Christoph," she quietly told him. She turned her head to meet his gaze. "It sounds to me like she didn't really understand the process and work involved with a career in film. She wanted you to be a regular guy and work at a job you despise instead of working through the struggles that come with this line of work." Amaya shrugged. "No offense, Christoph, but maybe what you and Jackie had wasn't really love. You got married way too young, and you didn't think about the consequences or how your futures could intertwine properly. You were just too different to make it work." 

Christoph silently nodded. While he felt that a part of him did love Jackie all those years ago, he couldn't help but wonder whether it was more infatuation than anything. Comparing that relationship to how he felt about Amaya, it felt different with Amaya. There was passion, certainly, but there was so much more depth. He felt like they could make it work, despite the demands on both of them. 

"Well, it's in the past now, and I want it to stay that way." He turned to her. "I do want you to know that I don't have feelings for Jackie. I haven't had feelings for her for a very long time." He scooted a little closer to her. "I don't want you to ever think I love you less just because I married her first. In fact, I think I love you more than I ever did her."

Amaya turned her gaze to him. "You mean that?" 

"Of course I do." 

"I'm really glad to hear that." She sighed. "You know, Christoph, this business is hard on families. People rarely stay married in Hollywood. Too many schedule demands and not enough time to build relationships. Sometimes I worry about the effect it will have on us." 

"That's only if my career takes off here."

"And it will, Christoph." Amaya faced him fully now. "You were just in a Tarantino film. You won an award at Cannes, and you might win more during awards season. When people see how talented you are, you'll surely get more offers. Even at the premiere tonight, everyone was all abuzz about your performance." 

"If that happens, I will do my best to work around it. I think you and I can have a greater relationship if wejust agree to always make time for one another." Christoph then gathered Amaya into his arms and held her tightly. "I do love you, Amaya. With all my heart, with every fiber of my being."


End file.
